I've studied the film industry, both academically and informally, for 25 years and extensively written about it for the last five years. My outlets for film criticism, box office commentary, and film-skewing scholarship have included The Huffington Post, Salon, and Film Threat. Follow me at @ScottMendelson.

The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Will Disney Make 'Frozen 2'?

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Walt Disneyannounced just over a week ago that Frozen would indeed be getting a stage-based spin-off and various other expansions of the brand. If you’ve seen the film, you know a stage musical was 100% guaranteed. With $336 million domestic and $763m worldwide as of today, and two Oscar nominations that it will probably win (Best Song and Best Animated Feature), Frozen indeed ranks among the bigger successes in Disney’s animated feature film history. But while we’re sure to get more merchandise and the explicit immersion of Anna and Elsa into the Disney Princess brand and the theme parks over the next few years, the one thing that wasn’t explicitly announced or even hinted at was a theatrical sequel.

Under normal circumstances, a film like Frozen would normally be all-but-guaranteed to get a sequel. It was incredibly well-reviewed, had a terrifically leggy box office run, and features a story that is completely open-ended for further expansion. But Frozen isn’t just any normal film. It’s a Disney animated film. Over the last 76 years, only five of Disney’s theatrical animated features have merited genuine sequels that played in theaters. And two of those were disconnected spin-offs Fantasia and the periodic Winnie the Pooh films. As for explicit direct sequels, there have been only three.

The Rescuers Down Under in 1990 was a minor hiccup in between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, earning just $47 million domestic. but operating as a test case for the new Computer Animation Production System. It’s arguably better than 1977′s The Rescuers, but it remains mostly a trivia question. Peter Pan 2: Return To Neverland was initially planned for DVD, but was released in theaters in 2002 and earned a solid $109 million worldwide gross on a $20m budget. Finally in 2003 we had The Jungle Book 2, another theoretical straight-to-DVD sequel that went theatrical. It earned a solid $135m worldwide off a $20m budget.

I’m not talking about the copious direct-to-video/DVD films like The Lion King 1 1/2, stand-alone concepts like Fantasia 2000nor periodic theatrical features with Winnie the Pooh characters. I’m speaking of specific and explicit franchise continuations that played theatrically in America. Under that criteria, which a theoretical Frozen 2 would fall into, Disney Animation has only made three genuine sequels over 76 years. If you want to include Fantasia 2000 ($90m worldwide and the first feature film to play in IMAX) or the four would-be “sequels” to 1977′s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, I won’t begrudge you.

But even so, Walt Disney Animation has stood outside of the conventional pattern of turning its hit films into theatrical sequel machines. DreamWorks AnimationDreamWorks Animation has franchised several of its features, specifically the Shrek films, the Kung Fu Panda series, and the ongoing Madagascar films. It’s poised to strike huge this summer with How To Train Your Dragon 2. And Universal’s Illumination just announced the 2017 release date for Despicable Me 3 while SonySony has Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 and the eventual Hotel Transylvania 2. FoxFox of course has the insanely profitable Ice Age series and the upcoming Rio 2. Even Pixar has gotten into the game. They took some heat for going the sequel route, more so for Monsters University and Cars 2 than for Toy Story 3, but they still have Finding Dory on tap for 2015. Disney Animation has thus far concentrated on original films.

There is no word about, for example, potential production for Tangled 2 (despite Tangled grossing $591 million worldwide) or Wreck It Ralph Returns (Wreck It Ralph grossed $471m). Either out of a desire to not repeat the same general territory or under the concept that Disney animated features are often treated like quasi-sequels to the last one anyway, Disney Animation has thus-far generally preferred to keep their direct sequels in the DTV market. Granted the mid-90′s and 2000′s were a boom time for the home video market (Aladdin and the King Of Thieves grossed $185m on VHS alone), so it may just be that Disney was indeed choosing the path of least resistance. But they’ve rarely had as big of a hit as they scored with Frozen.

As of this writing, Frozen has earned $336 million in domestic grosses. Among the films that have earned that much or higher, only four (The Passion of the Christ with $373m, The Lion King with $422m, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrialwith $435m, and Titanic with $658m) went without a sequel and/or don’t currently have one in development. If you care, the next biggest grossers without a sequel are Forest Gump ($331m), Up ($293m), The Sixth Sense ($293m), and Inception ($292m). That list makes up the only sequel-less films among the top 52 US grossers of all time. What about worldwide grossers, say you?

In terms of worldwide grosses, Frozen has grossed $763 million worldwide, the 50th biggest grosser of all-time. Of films that have earned as much or more, only 2012 ($765m), E.T. ($792m), Inception ($825m), The Lion King ($987m), and Titanic $2.16b) have no sequels either in current existence on in active development. For the record, sequels for Independence Day, Alice In Wonderland, and Avatar are currently in development. Point being, nearly every single film that has earned the grosses on the level of Frozen has received a theatrical sequel or prequel. If Disney walks away from a theoretical Frozen 2, it will be a big deal simply because not making a sequel after an original makes this level of money is all-but-unprecedented.

This is not about whether there should be a theatrical Frozen 2, from an artistic point of view. There surely can be more stories to tell as the kingdom comes to terms with Elsa’s “totally not a metaphor for homosexuality” ice powers, as well as how the two mostly separated sisters adjust to actually be in each others’ lives again. But financially speaking, under pretty much any other circumstances, a theatrical sequel to Frozen would already be scheduled for Thanksgiving 2016 or 2017. That is what makes a discussion about Frozen 2 somewhat unique. With any other studio, a sequel to a film like Frozen, which doesn’t remotely close off potential for further storytelling (as opposed to something like Titanic, The Passion of the Christ, or 2012), it would be a foregone conclusion.

But Disney Animation has been incredibly stubborn about not making theatrical sequels to their theatrical animated hits. Except for Planes, which ironically like Peter Pan 2 and The Jungle Book 2 was originally intended for DVD. Because Planes: Fire and Rescue is coming this July, thus becoming the fourth explicit sequel to a Disney animated theatrical release. But I digress. Disney foregoing another round in Arendelle is basically tantamount to passing up free money in the hundreds-of-millions. That they haven’t out-and-out committed and may leave it without a sequel shows something vaguely resembling artistic integrity as a matter of company policy. On the other hand, I’m really looking forward to How To Train Your Dragon 2 this summer.

So what say you? Should Disney make a theatrical sequel to Frozen, or should they merely capitalize on the success using other avenues such as theme parks (at a recent trip to Disneyland, there was a 2.5 hour line to “meet Anna and Elsa”) and pre-film shorts? And if they do make a theatrical sequel, all I ask is that they refrain from including a title or subtitle containing variations on the words “dark” and “rise”.

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It will be the biggest waste of INCREDIBLE characters if all we ever see of Elsa and Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff is this first film. This movie just BEGS for a sequel – and so do millions of fan. The Disney creative team can take their time – in fact, I prefer that they do. It’s fine if it takes years but at some point, some day, please let us revisit Arendelle!

I can so relate to what little “Elsa” is having to face & face the hard way! Like you “FrozenFan,” I was born “Intersexed” (Born both Female & Male.) with a chromosome count of XXY. For those that do not know what that means, I was (As my Surgeon said.) born Female with a Male kicker & that kicker was enough to mess things up for me in a bad way!

When I was but 2 days old, my sire demanded of the delivering Dr. that I be “Fixed” to be all male. He did this NOT “For my own good.” but for HIS own good only! He was in the Air Force & did not want to be embarrassed in front of his USAF buddies.

BUT! To make matters worse, he was (And still is.) a card packing member of the KKK & as far as he was concerned, I was a freak & he wanted a son that he could mold into a good little KKK member like he was! SO! Two days after I was born in 1957, (What choice did a two day old have?) he ordered the Dr. to “Fix me & make me ALL BOY!”

All my life, until late 1997, I had to hide who & how I was until is was so ingrained in me that I acted male automatically! BUT! When the truth came out, it came out in a rush just like it did for little “Elsa” & the song “Let it go.” says it all for me! I had to see what I could do, test the limits & break through!

Testing those limits & breaking through them was so exhilarating & freeing that I can not describe it! No more fear of being discovered. To finally drop the act & the mask I had been forced to put on for all those years was such a relief. It felt like the weight of the world had been taken off my shoulders all at one shot!

All little “Elsa” is saying here is that “This is me! This is who I really am & I am NO LONGER GOING TO HIDE IT! SO DEAL WITH IT! All I see is a young woman with a gift (YES! A GIFT!) that she had to hide all those years finally getting the chance to use that gift to it’s fullest extant & having a ball with it like she should have been able to all her life.

So yes! I can honestly say that Disney has finally come up with a character that I can get behind one million percent! I KNOW what little “Elsa” is feeling like & UNDERSTAND IT! I can empathize with her & were she a flesh & blood person, I would be more then willing & honored to defend her unto the death just so she can BE WHO SHE IS!

First of all, I’m a little disappointed that Mr. Mendelson has misspelled the setting of the film (Arendelle, not Arondale). Also, I think that the author has done the film a disservice by glazing over its message. Elsa’s powers and the way people react to them are certainly a metaphor for how people treat those who are different, but this is a message you can find in many family features. What sets Frozen apart is its feminist stance: women are powerful, and they should embrace that power rather than fear it. It is easy to shy away from the responsibility that leadership entails (whether you are caring for a younger sibling or an entire kingdom), out of fear that someone could get hurt on your watch, or because you are concerned with how people will perceive you. But with the love of those who truly support you, you can overcome this worry.

Frozen was made by parents of daughters—mothers and fathers who obviously wanted to create characters who would be role models for their kids. I think that this high-quality film will have a long shelf life because of its heart, and there’s a good chance that choosing not to turn it into a multi-film franchise will preserve its heart for generations to come.

I’ve covered the film’s rich feminist ideals countless times elsewhere since reviewing the film, as well as its worth to the LGBT community as a metaphor for their specific struggles. One does not preclude the other.

Also fun to note that Disney Feature Animation was only responsible for Fantasia 2000, Winnie the Pooh, and The Rescuers Down Under. The rest o the “cheapquels” and Planes came from what is now Disney Toon Studios. However, this was all before the modern era where animated sequels are huge business, and Disney has only recently had hits successful enough to be considered sequel-worthy. I,for one, would be the first in line for Wreck-t-Ralph 2.

Rescuers Down Under, Fantasia 2000, and Winnie the Pooh were released theatrically under the Walt Disney Animation Studios. The rest were DisneyToon. U can also say The Three Caballeros was a sequel since its created due to success of Saludos Amigos and both bear resemblances. so technically, there r 4 sequels released under WDAS.

Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen (from what I have heard) all deserve sequels. It would be great to see them come to fruition, but all three are good stand-alone films regardless. It is good to finally see films get cries for sequels for quality as opposed to bad movies get sequels just for money-making purposes (Everyone’s looking at you, Transformers).

With the quick cameo from Flynn and Rapunzel in Frozen, it would be cool to see a sequel for both Frozen and Tangled in one film, if it were to be done right. No matter what your take on Avenger-style crossover events, Disney Princesses would be a good place for it.

If Disney does not come out with a “FROZEN 2,” (As well as BRAVE.) someone is bloody well bonkers & needs to retire to “Bedlam” STAT! I have seen “FROZEN” 6 times & I love it every time! I can not wait till the DVD comes out! Then I can watch it as much as I like & no be bothering with standing in lines, freezing my ruddy tail off to see it again! This is a VERY GOOD MOVIE & should have a second one done of it!

BTW! I just love little “Elsa” all over the place & when she is all alone on that mountain side & her heart & soul are hurting, I just want to wrap my arms around her as if she were my child, comfort her & tell her that I of all people TRULY UNDERSTAND HER & WHERE SHE IS COMING FROM! Then we could go get “Anna” & face this world side by side & deal with anything anyone could toss at us!

Yes, Lion King did get a sequel, as did Aladdin and Mulan. The article may make a valid point, but it wasn’t entirely accurate. Regardless, considering how Disney’s CEO felt about the movie himself after the premier a sequel seems rather likely.

I really hope Disney takes the high road and sticks with making original films instead of becoming endless sequel making machines like what Pixar and Dreamworks have become. Disney Animation’s heart and soul has always been their originality… it would be a truly dark day if they lost that to make some quick cash.

I’d have so much more respect for Disney if they didn’t pursue a sequel. Remember when movies stood on their own, without the whole big obvious money-grab-as-the-sole-reason-for-a-sequel play? There is very rarely really anything left to say that merits a sequel. Exception – Toy Story 2. Toy Story 3 was just pure greed, and ultimately I kind of despise it.

Absolutely! There must be a sequel and not just for money but for the magical contribution of Disney to the world especially introvert kids as this may take some sadness and or satisfy their emotional and social needs. I, my friends, relatives and other kids have watched the film several times and it takes away the sadness. This film is really helpful. And back to finance, people like me who went to the theaters and watch the film would felt bad as if ‘wanting to take the money back’ if a sequel is not expected. Special kids would really feel good too if Disney would indeed promise them a Part II of the film. :)

I completely agree with you. The fact of Elsa’s powers possibly being a metaphor for her being gay and the fact of how introverted she was makes this movie more then a film. It’s a statement that Disney is involving into the new society we live in and I love it.

Disney has even create the movie Frozen 2! There have been many people around the world who saw and loved this movie! And there are many ideas for the movie! In Frozen 2 could put Anna and Kristoff married with children and Elsa could also be married and have children, and her husband could be a new character, could even be Jack Frost, after Flynn and Rapunzel appeared in the film Frozen for coronation of Elsa, so could also put the Jack Frost in the film to be married to Elsa, must have spontaneous ideas for the film Frozen 2 is even better than the first movie, I still have many more ideas to tell , if you want, just tell me in the comments so they can! So please create the movie Frozen 2! Please!

My idea for frozen2 is that haunz will go to the trolls and get fire powers. This will be very bad because Elsa has ice powers. One day there is a big fire in arrendel and Haunz is right there to blame. So therefore him and Elsa will battle fire vs. ice (I can only imagine how that would go.) But of course Elsa wil win If you like this idea I have many more that I can share

In Frozen 2, the children of Elsa and Jack, the boy could be named Atticus and the girl could be called Boadicea alcuha but it could be Bo, the son of Anna and Kristoff could call Eric! If you want to know more of my ideas just write in the comments!

I guess a possible plot for a sequel could be Elsa meeting someone else wandering the landscape alone due scary powers (such as fire or something), and Elsa finds herself being able to relate to this person and that it’s up to her to teach this person how to control him/herself…I dunno.

I think a second Frozen movie would definetly work. In all honesty though what I would like to see probably won’t happen. I’d like to see a mix between the Frozen Disney created and the original story of the Ice Queen with the Ice Queen possibly being either a grandmother or other relative of our favorite princesses. I’d like to see the Ice Queen as a villain who acts good but tries to get Elsa to create an army of snow creatures that will take control of Arrendale. While at the same time Anna + Elsa’s relationship could be played on, the people’s feelings on Elsa’s power could be played on, and I’d really like to see a lesbian partner for Elsa. That last part may be a little extreme for some but in all honesty I think it would an incredible idea.

There’s definately a good reason for not making sequels to big Disney movie hits, and that is the simple reason of not cheapening oneself and the overall feeling a good Disney films generates. Because, if a great Disney film would have a sequel, then the makers would have to make the same wondrous kind of production all over again, which is almost an impossible feat counting the usual reception a sequel gets when the first movie has been a blockbuster. And should they not succeed the general atmosphere from the two movies are integrated and the total are less in quality than from the reception of the first movie. That’s a too big risk to be taken. Better to keep the good feelings one gets from the initial movie and move on to a totally new idea. That way each movie keeps their integrity and doesn’t run the risk of being “diluted” by a badder result of a sequel.

If they don’t make a Frozen 2 you will have a lot of angry fans. You can’t just leave it at a cliff hanger and not do a 2nd one. You say having Kristoff and Anna kissing in the end is not a reason to make another one? I loved the movie and you can make another one as good as the first. I know if you don’t make another one I’m definitely going to be mad and I have a lot of friends that agree with me and there are probably a lot of other people that I don’t know that also agree with me. SO MAKE ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!